Funding plan flaw could amplify rural poverty

A Tes Scotland analysis of Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) allocations has shown that schools in rural authorities are far more likely than their urban counterparts to receive no money.

Several education bodies have called for a more sophisticated approach to PEF – which aims to help close the attainment gap between poor and affluent children – to alleviate the rural poverty that they fear often remains hidden.

The analysis shows the 113 schools that receive no money - about 5 per cent of state schools in Scotland – are overwhelmingly in rural authorities, such as Highland, Aberdeenshire and Argyll ...

‘Intimidated by research’

Schools are required to outline in detail their plans for Pupil Equity Funding money. At a school leaders’ conference in Glasgow last week, however, a keynote speaker said that teachers across the globe are bad at explaining why they need money.

Zachary Walker, an educationalist who focuses on leadership, neuroscience and mobile technology, said that schools’ attempts to promote new approaches are often undermined because “teachers are intimidated by research”.

Dr Walker said that every teacher should be able to explain the justification for their school’s various projects and initiatives.

“You need to verbalise the evidence-based practice your school is based on,” he told delegates at the annual conference of school leaders’ body the AHDS.

If they could not, Dr Walker said, schools became more vulnerable to the budget cuts sweeping through schools across the globe. An inability of teachers to explain why they needed money was “a reason you get money taken [away]”, he said.

Dr Walker also argued that teachers should be continually exploring new ideas. “Our students can’t be the only ones learning in school,” he said.

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